How Cole Sprouse’s Lisa Frankenstein Role Helped Him to Fulfill His Childhood Dream (Exclusive)

Cole Sprouse lets his inner child play in a new movie Lisa Frankenstein.

“I’ve always wanted to play a monster,” he said Riverdale alum, 31, tells PEOPLE.

So playing a mute reanimated corpse – known only as “The Creature” – in a horror-comedy starring Kathryn Newton was something of a dream come true for someone whose favorite movies, both for kids and adults, feature Godzilla.

“It felt like one of those opportunities where I would be able to high-five my 10-year-old self and say, ‘Yeah, buddy, we did it!’ “, he says with a smile.

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Even the hours of heavy prosthetics required to transform Sprouse into the undead Victorian-era zombie unearthed in 1989 were part of what made the experience “really fun,” he says.

Cole Sprouse and Kathryn Newton in “Lisa Frankenstein.”

Michele K. Short/FEATURE FOCUS

“I didn’t really mind the long times in the makeup trailer,” says the self-proclaimed “huge practical effects geek.”

However, making a cast of the face to carry all those prosthetics was a bit difficult – a “tomb-like experience” in fact.

“It was a little claustrophobic,” Sprouse admits. “They basically completely cover your head with a silicone block except for one nostril to allow you to breathe without … complete sensory deprivation. Do your Zen work and try as hard as you can to avoid a panic attack.”

There aren’t many actors who would agree to such a terrifying transformation – or a lead role with few or no words, since the Creature communicates only through grunts and growls. But Sprouse, who wants to “make what I like to watch,” isn’t most actors.

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A film without respect for genres Lisa Frankenstein more than fitting , especially since it was written by Oscar-winning writer Diablo Cody, whose “dialogue is iconic,” she says Suite Life of Zack & Cody star.

Signing up to play The Creature was also a no-brainer given Sprouse’s longtime friendship with Zelda Williams, daughter of Robin Williams, who Lisa Frankenstein makes his feature directorial debut.

Cole Sprouse and Kathryn Newton in “Lisa Frankenstein.”

Michele K. Short / © 2023 FOCUS FEATURES LLC

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“Zelda and I are friends first and colleagues last,” says Sprouse. He and Newton, “an amazing comedian,” he adds, also bonded before filming when he asked to take a photo with the actress and her poodles.

Fans of Sprouse shouldn’t be surprised to see him continue to indulge his inner child in future projects, especially thanks to the success of Riverdaleseven seasons.

“Now I’m afforded the kind of financial stability and time to sit down and really ask myself, what is the relationship I want to have with the industry I’ve been a part of since I was a little baby?” says the former child star. “What kind of work do I want to do?”

(Left to right:) Cole Sprouse, Zelda Williams, Kathryn Newton, Diablo Cody and Liza Soberano at a special screening of “Lisa Frankenstein” in Los Angeles on February 5.

Alberto Rodriguez/Getty

One of Sprouse’s missions as he continues to make inroads in Hollywood: “I’d like to see the return of the mid-budget movie as a profitable space for actors and creatives to interact,” he says.

And, “in the meantime,” he adds, “try to have as much fun as possible while doing work.”

Lisa Frankensteinstarring Liza Soberano, Henry Eikenberry, Joe Chrest and Carla Gugino, is in theaters now.

Sprouse will next star in the Mason Deaver film adaptation I wish you all the beststarring Corey Fogelmanis, Alexandra Daddario, Miles Gutierrez and Amy Landecker.

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Source: HIS Education